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Housing and Planning Bill passes back to the Commons
27/04/2016

Final changes were made to the Housing and Planning Bill during
the Third Reading of the Bill in the House of Lords on Thursday 27
April. The Bill, as amended, will now go to the House of Commons
for consideration of the Lords' amendments.

In all, the government suffered defeats on 12 amendments to the
Bill proposed by Peers during its passage through the House of
Lords:

Councils to decide the mix of Starter Homes locally

Buyers forced to repay percentage of Starter Homes discount if
sold within 20 years.

Rules around sales of higher-value council homes to come before
parliament.

'Pay to stay' to be voluntary for councils.

Taper rate for 'pay to stay' to be set at no more than 10p in
every pound over threshold.

'Pay to stay' threshold increased to £40,000 a year (£50,000 in
London) with thresholds to be raised in line with the Consumer
Price Index every three years.

Neighbourhood right of appeal for local forums and parish
councils.

Permission in principle to apply only on 'housing-led'
developments.

Developers required to contribute affordable housing on sites
of ten homes or less.

A requirement for all new homes to be carbon compliant from
April 2018.

Measures to ensure better drainage to prevent flooding -
including ending the automatic right of developers to connect to
existing sewerage pipes

A requirement for like-for-like replacement of high-value
council housing sold with social housing.

The government also introduced amendments at Third Reading to
provide for "one-for-one" replacement of high-value council housing
outside London; and the granting of discretion to councils to offer
fixed-term tenancies for longer than five years to be specified in
statutory guidance but likely to include lettings to families with
school age children, older people and those with disabilities or
long-term illnesses and those who care for them.

ARCH Policy Adviser, Matthew Warburton, has produced a detailed
briefing
paper on the changes to Part 4 of the Bill (Provisions
relating to Social Housing in England) as the Bill now stands
following the Third Reading in the Lords.

It seems unlikely that the government will accept all of the
amendments to the Bill made by opposition and cross-bench Peers in
the Lords. However the government will be under pressure to ensure
that the Bill does not spend too long in "ping-pong" between the
Commons and the Lords and that the Bill receives Royal Assent as
soon as possible.